Meridian Has Choice: Not Raise Prices And Cut Ads

“For state owned power producer and retailer,
Meridian Energy, to claim it had little choice but to raise
its prices from 1 September is a sour joke when it is
running huge and expensive ‘mood’ type advertisements,” said
Andrew McKenzie, Alliance Public Sector Spokesperson.

“It’s adding insult to injury for those who are already
getting cold and sick this winter because the SOE’s power
prices are already so high.”

“The situation is so bad in
Christchurch and Canterbury that the Canterbury District
Health Board just last week increased its ‘winter warmth’
campaign. The campaign to be run on radio and by posters to
GPs, is to encourage Cantabrians to keep warm over the
winter months because so much illness is caused by the cold
and so many elderly people are hospitalized.”

Mr. McKenzie
said that Meridian customers were approaching the Alliance
saying the State power company did have a choice – it could
stop the million dollar water and wind ‘mood’ ads and not
increase their power bills on 1 September.

“After three
years of 30% to 40% power price rises, to now have a letter
from Meridian informing of a further 3.5% plus a levy (along
with advice to put in cylinder wraps and use draft stops for
windows and doors to save power) has generated a lot of
heat!” “Pensioners in Marlborough with estimated annual
income of $13,000 are to get an 8.5% increase,” said Andrew
McKenzie.

“It is time for the Government to step in and
take back the power – both ownership and responsibility -
from the electricity utilities in the country,” said Andrew
McKenzie.

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